


Summer Cicadas

by colonel_idiot



Series: The Seasons [2]
Category: Twosetviolin
Genre: Alternate Universe - Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso | Your Lie in April Fusion, Angst, Bad Poetry, M/M, Pining, little bit of jealousy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:02:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27285367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colonel_idiot/pseuds/colonel_idiot
Summary: All the while the weeping sounds of the cicadas remind Eddy his time is short and fleeting. Those spring days are no more. The humid, sweltering heat of summer is drawing to a close. Those words he so desperately wants to say, deep in his chest, never do manifest. The ache never leaving, just a constant reminder he’s not long for the world.-Eddy realizes he's short on time.
Relationships: Eddy Chen/Brett Yang
Series: The Seasons [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1992229
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	Summer Cicadas

夕焼けに / _yuuyake ni_ / In the [day's] afterglow  
蝉の鳴き声/ _semi no nakigoe_ / the crying cicada's songs  
が煩い / _ga urusai_ / are deafening [me]

* * *

It wasn’t often that Eddy is held back by a teacher. His grades were pretty okay, got along with the others alright, but this wasn’t about class performance or bullying. No, this was something else. He knew it the moment Mrs. Hahn let out the class and singled him out to stay behind.

“How is everything?” Mrs. Hahn inquires softly. 

“‘m fine,” he fiddles with the white hospital band around his wrist, trying not to meet his teacher’s gaze.

Another sigh. “Eddy,” she starts, “you don’t need to shoulder this on your own. I’m here to help.” It’s a quiet plea from the normally energetic music teacher, Mrs. Hahn is always so quick to pick up on his moods.

“It’s nothing, really.” Eddy shifts uncomfortably, trying to double down on his little lie. Nothing’s really okay at the moment, well maybe except those moments with Brett.

A sigh. That’s already the fifth sigh from Mrs. Hahn, her brows furrow, creases between the brows deepening. She knows he’s lying, she always knows but never presses. That guilt eats at Eddy, he can’t tell anyone, not yet. “Alright, I won’t press it. But you need to know your limits, okay?”

“Yes, Mrs. Hahn. Can I go now?” Eddy asks, hesitantly pointing to the door leading out of the classroom. He’s worried she’ll have more to say about his violin work or bowing, or intonation, or phrasing, or whatever really. She’s the only other person he doesn’t want to let down, other than Brett.

“Yes, go on. Don’t keep Mr. Yang waiting.” There’s a teasing quality to her voice, she’d probably gave him a little knowing look. But Eddy wouldn't know, he's already shot out of the classroom by then. Sprinting towards the small music room he and Brett call their own. He doesn’t want to keep Brett waiting any longer. Their little conversations, musical or not, is something he deeply cherishes after all.

Eddy finds himself in front of the door to the music room. There’s someone in there, someone that’s not him with Brett, in the music room. A chill runs through his body, he hopes the older boy hadn't found himself a new companion during Eddy’s short stint in the hospital. No, he shakes his head, it hadn’t been that long. A little under a week he’d say, but that’s plenty of time for Brett to have found a better companion. One that wouldn’t constantly pester him to accompany them during competitions. One that wouldn’t constantly beg to play together. One that was a better companion than Eddy.

Eddy looks down at the door handle, his hand hovers by the knob. He wonders if he should knock. To let Brett and his guest know he’s intruding in on their space. A space that used to be his and Brett’s, he thinks bitterly. 

Instead, the door opens, Eddy jumps at the sudden movement. It’s Ray standing in front of him, looking just as surprised as Eddy is. Of all the people to be there of course it would be Ray, Brett’s longest friend, and also a violinist.

“Hey Eddy,” Ray greets him jovially “I was just on my way out.” The twelfth year pats his shoulder, almost in a reassuring manner. “I constantly need to remind Brett to stop being a ninny and get his act together.” Ray lets out a huff as if fed up with all of Brett’s antics, Eddy cocks his head in confusion. “Anyway, I got lessons in a bit, so I’ll leave you two at it.” He pushes past Eddy waving his hand in goodbye not bothering looking back at the two boys left behind. 

Brett all but sighs at Ray’s departure, “ignore him,” he grumbles. He rubs the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, trying to ease whatever headache Ray had caused moments earlier. Eddy wanders in and sits beside the older pianist, waiting for Brett to address him. He waits, watching the eleventh-year picks at his nails, adjusting in his seat as if a bit uncomfortable with whatever Ray had told him. Eddy’s curiosity burns, wanting to know more but waits patiently, not wanting to be any more a burden than he already was.

“Aa-um,” Brett tries to start but stumbles over his words. Clearing his throat, he tries again “how, how have you been? Haven’t seen you in a bit, was beginning to worry something happened to you,” he chuckles nervously.

“I’m fine,” Eddy replies curtly. Placing a hand over his hospital band to hide why he’d been gone for a while. “ Something just came up, is all,” Eddy said, trying and failing to divert suspicion. Brett raises an eyebrow at him, not exactly buying the vague excuse, but he drops it.

“How about a duet,” Brett proposes instead of probing further. “The cicadas haven’t exactly been able to fill your spot, Mr. Violinist,” Brett says while elbowing Eddy.

“How dare you compare my playing to a mere insect!” Eddy gasps scandalously while batting away Brett’s elbow.

“Least I didn’t say a cockroach,” Brett says, trying to get his giggling under control.

The poor violinist’s face scrunches at the thought of the dreaded bug. “Ewww, anything but that. Please, Brett! I’ll compose a hundred, not a thousand pieces for you not to compare me to that,” Eddy shudders “thing.”

“Promise I won’t, long as you play a duet with me.”

“Fine,” Eddy sighs dramatically and sets about retrieving his violin from its case. Humming a soft tune under his breath, having all but forgotten about finding Brett with Ray earlier.

“What’s up with the white band?” Brett asks innocuously. Eddy grips the band, trying to hide his stint in the hospital. He didn’t want to worry Brett any more than he already had.

“It’s nothing!” Eddy protested loudly, holding the banded wrist close to his chest.

“It, it looks like a hospital band. Eddy, are you okay? Something wrong?” Brett’s voice tinged with concern. Brows furrow trying to decipher why the normally cheery violinist was so vehemently deflecting Brett’s concerns.

“N-no! Nothing’s wrong, I just -” Eddy flails about trying to find the right words to dispel Brett’s worries. “Belle gave it to me.” He doesn’t find them.

“Eddy, if there anything-”

“There’s nothing wrong!”

“Please-”

“No!”

An unbearably heavy silence falls over the two. The normally light music room is now quiet, save for the loud ringing of cicadas in the distance. Eddy shuts his eyes, not wanting to see Brett’s broken face, and descends further into the whirlpool of his mind. These were the last few days he’d see Brett before he had to return, and yet…

Tears begin to well. Breath shortening. Eddy curls in on himself, clutching his banded wrist ever closer to his chest. Sobs wretch from his throat, any words he may try to say come out horse and incoherent. The apology that slips from his lips is unintelligible. The weight of his illness, his family, and his impending surgery finally give way.

All the while the weeping sounds of the cicadas remind Eddy his time is short and fleeting. Those spring days are no more. The humid, sweltering heat of summer is drawing to a close. Those words he so desperately wants to say, deep in his chest, never do manifest. The ache never leaving, just a constant reminder he’s not long for the world.

Eddy feels a hand on his shoulder shaking him out of his thoughts. Brett’s voice calling for him. He looks up at the older boy through teary eyes to find Brett’s normally serene face marred with concern and worry. He’d done that, again. Ducking his head, he retreats further away from his dearest stars.

“EDDY!” Brett shouts, shaking the sobbing boy. Eddy looks up, fully meeting the other boy’s fierce gaze. “Eddy,” Brett’s voice a touch softer now. “I don’t know what’s going on-”

_I’d rather you not know._

“-But I’ll be by your side no matter what,” Brett says mustering all his courage and pulls the crying boy into his arms. Running his fingers through Eddy’s soft black locks he hushes the younger boy, murmurs soft nothings to the young tenth year.

And Eddy falls into Brett’s open arms. Those words are still caught in his throat, but he finds all the weight lifted from his body. Lighter now than anytime before. The two boys stay like that, huddled together in the balmy summer afternoon. With the sounds of the late-summer cicadas whispering sweet nothings into their ears.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally I had intended for this to be a companion piece to 'Spring Breeze' with Eddy's musing on Brett, but it ended up like this. I'm not quite sure if I did a good enough job at conveying Eddy's emotional turmoils, dealing with his illness, and whatnot.  
> -  
> I hope you are doing well and staying healthy.  
> \--  
> 2020.11.01: minor grammatical edits and the addition of a haiku


End file.
